Heart Strings
by mataharitenshi
Summary: A short moment between a hokage and his favored ANBU guard, who incidentally is his lover. After a long day of work it's nice to be comforted by the one you love. ItaNaru Non-canon.


**Warnings: **Not really any warnings per say. Just the usual boyxboy-ness. Tame little bit of ItaNaru. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I willfully _dis_claim any rights to these characters. They belong to one lucky Kishimoto Masashi-san.

**Heart Strings**

_~matahari_

Naruto took a deep breath, held it until he was likely to turn blue in the face, and let it out slowly.

"Something the matter?"

Naruto glanced to the side at the man casually leaning against the edge of his desk, whiskered mask matching his own scarred cheeks. _Finally_, he thought.

The hokage unenthusiastically dipped his head to the desk. "You know, it's creepy when you sneak up on me like that."

The fox mask tipped to the side ever so slightly, "Hoakge-sama, I have yet to ever catch you unaware."

Naruto lifted his head enough to look blurrily at him. "Huh… guess you're right." He scowled, "And don't call me that, damn it. You don't have to use formalities when it's just us."

His silent vigil inclined his head. "Very well. Naruto-kun." He slid a fraction closer. "You must be very weary."

Naruto nodded almost imperceptibly. It was getting late. Perhaps it was time to call it a night. He watched the man, who was easily the closest and most trusted friend he had, an equal – something akin to partners. Naruto certainly never tired of studying the man; he was stillness and peacefulness incarnate. In the years they'd known each other, Naruto had never met anyone as content. It was almost unnerving, but interesting nonetheless. His own innate need to fidget always gave him away.

He must have come straight here, Naruto speculated – dried blood stained the off-white of the ANBU vest as well as the arm guards and was spattered sporadically over the tight black cloth that covered the corded muscles of his thighs. He clucked his tongue as he noticed the oxidized, red, sticky clumps of long, black hair woven together from the base of his skull to fall between his shoulder blades.

"You could've just went home and cleaned up," Naruto commented even as his hands gripped the man's hips and slid his backside along the old, oak desk until he was directly in front of him. The man moved without protest and obediently accommodated the lack of room by scooting back enough to be effectively perched on the edge of the wooden surface.

"Che…" Naruto scoffed. "You never braid it as well as I do," he chided on the state the man's hair was in, his fingers diligently untying the knot the two red strings holding the mask in place made.

Dark eyes regarded him calmly as he gently placed the carefully painted fox face next to the man's thigh. Naruto never ceased to be mesmerized by those eyes; if he didn't know better, he'd swear he'd never stepped out of that man's illusory world when he'd been caught by his genjutsu years ago. Sighing somewhat dreamily, he commented casually, "I never seem to be able to get use to your eyes like that."

The man's eyelids lowered some, dark eyelashes fanning out, contrasting starkly on the backdrop of pale skin. It would have effectively blocked his gaze had Naruto not been looking up at him. Instead, it just looked gorgeous – breathtaking. His head didn't turn, but those inky black eyes looked away to the window behind the blond. "You should be use to it now." His eyes flickered back. "After all, I haven't activated the sharingan in many months."

Naruto stiffened a little at the reminder but forcibly let his muscles relax as he leaned forward to hug his companion's waist. He waited patiently while pale fingers deftly unbuckled the clasps holding the vest to the man's body and slid out of it. Naruto took the opportunity to nuzzle in to the black clothed stomach, inhaling deeply. When he was satisfactorily reacquainted with his lover's scent (no matter the heavy stench of blood on his body), he rested his chin over his abdomen and looked up, blue eyes amused.

"I know. It's not that." Tanned cheeks tinged a faint pink while the young hokage studiously inspected the woven black threads in front of his nose. "I mean, they're really…" He searched for an appropriate word. "Pretty," he supplied waving his hand in a vague manner. He could help but conclude that it was a rather… lame description. Not to mention, completely inaccurate.

"Pretty," came the emotionless reply.

The blond shrugged. "Yeah. Beautiful," he breathed out softly. An elegant black brow arched inquisitively, but Naruto could see silent laughter in those eyes.

"Perhaps you hadn't noticed, Naruto-kun, but generally one doesn't need to flatter someone they are already sleeping with," he stated dryly.

Naruto's smile couldn't have been described as anything other than cheeky. "Oh, 'Tachi. You _do_ have a sense of humor," he over exaggerated.

A smile was beginning to tug at the corners of the elder Uchiha's mouth. "Occasionally."

Naruto simply loved their – somewhat tender – little verbal sparring. His absolute favorite part had to be working his magic until he could get the stoic genius to smile. Sadly, if he'd never taken the time to get to know the man, he never would have suspected all of the wonderful qualities he contained. Knowing the truth – the ordeal that Itachi had been put through but graciously accepted anyway – was enough that Naruto had found himself watching, wondering about the man, yet he'd been pulled closer still as if some magnetic force of the universe was conspiring to draw him to Itachi. He was certainly grateful, no matter what the driving circumstance had been. He never felt so...dare he even think, loved. Itachi really was an enigma.

"Naruto."

The blond made a small noise to say that he was listening, as he snuggled closer still to Itachi's mid-section. He didn't ignore the drop of the honorific though; he knew what was coming.

"As much as I enjoy your attempts at romance, you avoided my original question."

Naruto sighed, knowing that he wasn't getting out of an explanation. "Neji didn't exactly have good news when he came back. Do we have to talk about it tonight?"

Itachi stayed silent for a moment and the hokage wondered if he might not answer at all. "I suppose not. First thing in the morning though."

Naruto gave him his best shit-eating grin that more often than not betrayed the slumbering animal inside him. "Yes, Itachi-_sama_. Whatever you say."

It was Itachi's turn to sigh, closing his eyes as he said as gently as he could, voice deep and beautiful, "You can't make him come home if he doesn't wish to."

Naruto's smile gradually disappeared, face falling solemn, and Itachi immediately regretted having to say those words. But they were necessary.

Naruto looked up at him, face contorted in his sadness. Naruto knew he'd always been so hard-pressed to control his emotions; he cursed, as he felt the familiar burn behind his eyes. When he started to pull away though, Itachi took a firm hold of his shoulders and pulled his face to his chest, fighting to find the right words to add. Itachi needed to bring back that beautiful smile, the light in cold blue eyes, or it just might break him.

Itachi leaned forward, cheek brushing softly against the baby-soft sandy blond at the crook of Naruto's neck. "I can't make myself take back what I said because it was something you needed to hear. However," he spoke softly, words only meant for his blond drifting to the young man's ears. "Nobody will stop you from searching, not one person will complain about missions to gather information on his whereabouts, but it's easy to see that your friends are becoming worried."

"Just my friends?" Naruto found himself asking. He wasn't entirely sure why he had asked it though. He wasn't trying to fish for affection, but something deep inside said he needed to know that Itachi thought of him too.

Itachi took hold of his chin, tilting Naruto's head back to meet his gaze. "After everything that has occurred, surely you know that I worry more than anyone." His favorite ANBU guard then leaned forward to press those tantalizing light pink lips to his own and he lost all ability to think coherently. He could only feel as he was kissed tenderly and gently. It made him feel fragile, and he had found that, that didn't bother him nearly as much as he thought it would. To just let go. Generally, he always wanted to give as good as he received, but right now he got an odd sense of satisfaction from being manipulated like a rag doll, accepting all the wonderful things Itachi's lips were doing to him as his tired body was too exhausted to protest anyway. In a strange sense, the feeling was more comforting than arousing.

He wouldn't be Naruto if he didn't surprise people every so often though. He reached his arms up, draping them over his Uchiha's shoulders, threading tan fingers through black bangs and stray hair, as he deftly removed the tie at the bottom of the braid and ran his hands down, quickly unwinding the black silk as it cascaded over Itachi's back. God, it was longer than ever and so, so gorgeous. He was breathtaking, intoxicating, and he knew for as long as he lived he'd still never get enough of this man.

Itachi broke the spell over them, moving back just far enough for hot breath to fan over Naruto's lips as he spoke. "Let's go home."

It was far too late at night for them to dwell on such things. It could wait until morning, wait until after he'd spent a night intimately entwined with Itachi, wrapped tightly around the sweetest lover he could ask for.

Naruto gave him a brilliant smile and nodded.

– –

There is a small possibility that I may contibue this fic further in the future. I had some ideas, but liked where it stopped here. If anyone cares either way, drop me a few lines.

~m


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